Fine Asian Art - 20th May 2025
Lot 116
A NEAR PAIR OF CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE 'FINGER CITRON AND PERSIMMON' DISHES
Estimate £2,000 - £3,000 | Hammer £4788
Inc. Buyers Premium
Description
A NEAR PAIR OF CHINESE BLUE AND WHITE 'FINGER CITRON AND PERSIMMON' DISHES
EARLY KANGXI C.1680
Each painted to the centre with three large persimmon fruits and three finger citrons amongst dense leafy tendrils, all below a single line border to the rim, the exterior painted with three further fruit sprays, 34cm. (2)
Provenance: from the Mark and Elizabeth Harding Collection, South Africa.
Cf. R Krahl and J Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, vol. III, p. 992, no 2102, accession no. TKS 15/4176 for a related example. See also The Victoria and Albert Museum, accession no. C.328-1951 for another similar example.
Both persimmon and finger citron are symbolic fruits associated with good fortune, prosperity, and blessings. The finger citron is also known as the 'Buddha's hand' citron, the name deriving from its supposed similarity to the idealised, long and slender, lotus-formed fingers of Buddha. The hand-shaped form is linked to both blessings and the gesture of giving and receiving fortune. The persimmon symbolises good fortune, happiness, and success because its pronunciation is similar to the word, shi, which means 'things' or 'affairs'.
清康熙早期 青花事事如意盤 一對
來源：南非Mark及Elizabeth Harding 收藏。